2001 Discovery - short range expo build

[Mr. Pickles]

I've been in a mid-life funk recently until I discovered the idea of overlanding and the funk gave way to inspiration. My hope is to build a reliable vehicle to explore the Northeast solo and with my girls. The wife isn't into tent camping, but she loves to travel and I'd love for us to discover some of the off-the-beaten-path scenic gems. My eldest daughter could easily be persuaded to do some off-roading and camping so I do hope to outfit a RTT once I sort out the truck.


I purchased a 2001 Land Rover Discovery with 111k on the clock and no rust! It spent most of it's life in Texas and then a few years in Virginia. I bought it sight unseen, which was a mistake, as the seller didn't reveal the destroyed headliner or the fact that the transfer case is stuck in 4 high. I had it shipped to me painlessly by Montway Transport, and they are highly recommended.


The wife isn't thrilled with me as she wanted me to wait until she returns to work after her maternity leave before I purchased a vehicle. So, I am worried about how much cash I can dump into this Disco. I have to set some limits, but I hope I'm not forced to abandon the project.


Here's the list of work that's been done and what is in process:

Previous owner did the following:
New heads/New head gaskets
New valve cover gaskets
New wires/New spark plugs
New thermostat housing
New brake rotors and pads

Accessories -
Safari rack (model?)
Brush guard w/Hella aux. lights (model?)
Rear ladder (not yet installed)


I've begun the following:
Dec. 2014
Oil change
Coolant flush
Flush diff fluid
NY Inspection (passed)
NY plates and reg.
Insured
Detailed interior and exterior


Jan. 2015 – to be done next week
Replace head liner
Repair drain hoses and cups to address front sunroof leak

Current issues
Engine-
Service engine soon light – 02 sensors to be replaced tomorrow

Electrical-Driver's side front window not operational – fixed!
Cruise control not working – not high priority to fix at the moment

Transmission-
Can't shift out of 4 High – may need a British Motors mechanic to check this out, reading up on the forums to see what I can tackle on my own in the meantime

Interior/Exterior-
Instruments surround housing cracked away from dash
Windows/seat heating instrument cluster has cracked plastic housing
Right horn button non functional
Rear license plate plastic attachment broken
Hella aux lights on bull bar have moisture inside lenses but still functional


Steering/Suspension -
Slight vibration in steering, otherwise rides very nice





Any advice on what needs to be addressed immediately and what I should do to make this as reliable a vehicle as possible would be greatly appreciated. Taking care of the mechanical and electrical issues are my absolute priority. After they are taken care of, I will start to outfit for adventuring.

I'm excited and terrified all at once!

 

[David Harris]

Looks like a nice truck cosmetically. One of my favorite colors too. As long as the engine and everything runs well, just make sure all of the regular maintenance is done. One of the first things I would do is check the front driveshaft and see if it has been rebuilt/replaced with one which has grease points on all the u joints including the centering ball of the front cv joint. If not, then make that the top of your list. The stock ones can't be serviced and regularly break, often taking out the transmission at the same time. Then, at least before summer comes, install a factory 180 degree thermostat if it hasn't been done already. Drill some holes in the bottom of the rear frame rails to allow drainage and avoid the rot problem which develops there. Check and replace all the bushings. Check suspension and replace as necessary. After all the mechanical and electrical is working as it should, just start using it on short trips to get a feel for it stock and add accessories and modifications as the need for them becomes apparent. There's beauty in a well maintained stock Land Rover and you will find not much else other than good tires is needed to go just about anywhere you wish. You also become a better driver with a stock vehicle. No need to break the bank on modifications all at once. You will know what you need to do as you gain experience with it and the types of trips you like to take. However, three mods every Disco should have are some good bolt on differential guards such as Terrafirma, some good frame mounted recovery points in the front such as Jate Rings (Terrafirma makes some and there are genuine ones), and a recovery shackle for the rear receiver hitch. Those are the basics.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

In planning ahead, I'm thinking about recovery gear and I've noticed that Smittybuilt stuff is inexpensive. They make a receiver hitch shackle mount, recovery straps and kit, a multi-tool and Hi-Lift type jacks that could save me some cash. Anyone have experience with the brand?

 

[roverandom]

I 2nd the above. Try to resist "improving" it for at least a year. That will allow money for maintainance, unforeseen repairs and time for you to either build confidence in the vehicles reliability or realize this is not a unit you are prepared to put any more time or $$$ into.
I call it the 'honeymoon' period.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

That's some wise advice, for sure.

Anyone have an alternate link to the RAVE manual? The one that's floating around crashes my computer every time I try to download it.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

O2 sensors "welded" into place?

Service engine light came on so I brought it to my mechanic. The codes came up for replacing the O2 sensors. He tried to remove them but they were stuck. He tried heating them up with a torch and they still wouldn't come out. He said the only way to get them out would be to remove the whole y-pipe assembly in which they are contained. I asked for an estimate and drove the truck home before getting the repairs done. The engine light was no longer lit. Any advice?

On a positive note, we passed a Rover Graveyard near my house. Turns out there is a mechanic who services Land Rovers and those are his parts cars. I'm going to have him take a look at my stuck shift linkage.

Can anyone identify my roof rack?

 

[mpinco]

First, Welcome!

On stuck in 4 Hi, pretty common issue if previous owner never used 4 low.

http://bahnstorm.com/rover/discodifflock.htm

or

Solenoid

 

[luckyjoe]

Looks like the Safety Devices DII rack - its arguably the best, and it came with your truck!

Removing O2 sensors - heat, spray with PB Blaster, repeat. It often helps to do this once or twice BEFORE you actually try to remove them - let the heat/cool/penetrant cycle do it's thing.

 

[jrose609]

Can anyone identify my roof rack?

View attachment 264845

Looks like the Safety Devices DII rack - its arguably the best, and it came with your truck!

Your rack is a Voyager roof rack. Close to an SD rack, but not quite.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

Your rack is a Voyager roof rack. Close to an SD rack, but not quite.

Bingo! Just found a tab on the top that says Voyager. Thanks, lol.

In other news, the driver side window isn't working (again) and the check engine light is still off.

 

[LR Max]

Truck looks fine. Over the next week or so, crawl under there and hit the transfer case linkage with PB blaster. Seems like after a good week of soaking, that stuff can loosen up anything. Pretty common issue.

Overall, truck should be fine. I have heard of issues with the temp gauge not working correctly. My suggestion would be to buy a OBD2 bluetooth adapter (need this anyway and they are cheap off amazon) and monitor your engine temps. That way you have a way to see what a check engine light is and see if you have any temp issues. I feel like overheating is what kills these trucks.

Other than that, keep oil in it. Might also want to budget some money to get the chassis waxoyled. That way it can stay rust free. Really these trucks don't need a whole lot of upgrades. Just take it out and go. Oh and take off the running boards...or the trail will take them off for you. Pick one.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

Those running boards are bothering me, but I didn't want to take them off until I had rocker guards/sliders budgeted. Undercarriage rust protection is on my short list as well.

 

[99Discovery]

Ultraguage is the cheapest way to monitor your temps. The "gage" works, but it only has three settings: Cold (dial to the left), in-spec (dial in the middle) and "you just bought a $5k engine) dial to the right.

Not only is an OBDII gage recommended, it's NEEDED if you want to keep your vehicle. The aluminum block with cylinder liners is the Achilles heel, keeping it cool will give you a reliable disco.

Before you do "fun" mods, like a CDL or recovery gear, you MUST do the following (and I can't stress this enough):

1) Ultragage or other OBDII reader to monitor temps live. If you get above 220F, shut it off, something is wrong.

2) 180 Thermostat. Buy the one for the TD5, it plugs right in and is rated to 180. Do not be scared it will keep your car in closed loop, not the Disco. The 180 T-stat keeps mine between 188 and 194, even in 4-lo in the Utah desert. It's the hot/cold cycle which burns your head gaskets.

3) Serviceable front drive shaft, with greasable U-joints and center ball. The nice sealed unit is great, but the cat-converters dry up the grease inside and around 120k-150k it seizes, breaks, and flings the shaft around your under carriage inevitably destroying your transmission. $3k repair! huzzah! A fully balanced and serviceable unit from various sources are available, for $300 or so. Or rebuild it yourself. Grease it every 3~5k (don't forget the center ball!) with high-temp grease and you will be fine!

4) Just redo the cooling system. Drain out the Dex-cool. Don't forget the fan-clutch.

5) Oil!!! This is an old-school flat-tappet motor with fuel injection thrown on. Your 0w20 and 5w30 oils are OUT OF SPEC. And even synthetic 5w30/10w40 could be as well.

Your cheapest option is running Diesel Rotella T15w40 (in the heat) and dino "SN" and/or "SJ" spec 5w30 in the winter, or if you want to spend the money, get the rotella 5w40 and be done with it. Change oil routinely (engine doesn't seal well, as I'm sure you've got many leaks), and use the biggest filter you can find. I like the Bosch heavy duty (Walmart) and the NAPA gold filters.


Good luck! You will LOVE the disco if it's reliable, and HATE it if it's a lemon. DO THE PREVENT MAINTENANCE FIRST!! And you will have no regrets!

 

[Mr. Pickles]

Previous owner claims to have replaced the thermostat housing so I'm going to have to pull it to see if it is the 180 degrees 'stat. If not, I'm ordering one from Rover's North asap. I also have to check and see if the driveshaft has been rebuilt with serviceable parts already. So damn wet and cold out though... I'm looking into a scangauge asap as well.

 

[99Discovery]

Previous owner claims to have replaced the thermostat housing so I'm going to have to pull it to see if it is the 180 degrees 'stat. If not, I'm ordering one from Rover's North asap. I also have to check and see if the driveshaft has been rebuilt with serviceable parts already. So damn wet and cold out though... I'm looking into a scangauge asap as well.

That's a great start. While you were underneath PB-blasting the T-case did you check to see if you had the CDL? I think early '01 was the last year of the CDL, right? If so, save up for an aschcroft shifter. I did the D1 install, and while it works, the savings aren't worth the headache. I would do the Ashcroft next time and save multiple headaches over dollars!

Keep posting pictures of your build! I'm jealous of the roof rack!